​Matt Tifft’s first set of racing wheels was a go-kart. Starting at age 11, the Ohio native quickly rose from local tracks to two national race wins within two years.

Stock cars came calling next, putting a 15-year-old Tifft behind the wheel of a full-sized car. He collected two wins in a super late model in 2011 and ARCA Midwest Tour Rookie of the Year honors in 2012. He further honed his skills with Ken Schrader Racing in the ARCA Racing Series in 2014 before making his national series debut that same year at age 18 in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

Tifft competed in 12 Truck series races in 2015, capturing five top-10 finishes. Later that year, the young driver continued to climb the racing ranks as he made his NASCAR XFINITY Series debut, earning a 10th-place finish for Joe Gibbs Racing at Kentucky Speedway.

The year of 2016 was shaping up to be another season of successes in both the XFINITY and Truck series when Tifft’s racing career came to a temporary but alarming mid-season halt. While treating the young driver for back pain, doctors discovered a tumor on Tifft’s brain. The 19-year-old had successful surgery to remove the benign mass, and he made a remarkable return to racing just 11 weeks later. Today Tifft serves as a spokesperson for the National Brain Tumor Society and has lobbied U.S. legislators for improved research and treatment.

Fully recovered, Tifft returned to XFINITY series racing, where he went on to earn nine top-five and 38 top-10 finishes, two poles and back-to-back playoff appearances in two full-time seasons. His 2018 season with Richard Childress Racing resulted in a sixth-place finish in the championship standings while competing through the Round of 8 in the series playoffs.

In 2019, Tifft’s competitive drive takes him to racing’s highest level, driving the No. 36 for Front Row Motorsports in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Working alongside crew chief Mike Kelley and teammates Michael McDowell and David Ragan, Tifft will be surrounded by veteran leadership and support as he competes for the series’ Rookie of the Year honors.